#890361 - 03/29/14 03:01 PM
Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
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My Waders are Moist
Registered: 11/20/08
Posts: 3419
Loc: PNW
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I want to get a drift boat motor setup to use for lower river upstream trolling, nearshore crabbing on calmer days, lake trolling, and of course drifting rivers.
I have read enough about motor wells on drift boats to think they aren't worth it. Sounds like they impact rowing, take up space, and aren't really needed if you get a long shaft motor.
Currently I'm thinking a 16' Willie with a 10HP long shaft. 15HP would likely be too heavy? I really want to be able to troll the lower Skagit River so enough power to do that would be best and if any of you are familiar with this area your advice is especially welcome.
Any advice or input is welcome. Thank you!
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#890363 - 03/29/14 03:22 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Jason Beezuz]
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ExtenZe Field Tester
Registered: 11/10/09
Posts: 7961
Loc: Vancouver, WA
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I want to get a drift boat motor setup to use for lower river upstream trolling, nearshore crabbing on calmer days, lake trolling, and of course drifting rivers.
I have read enough about motor wells on drift boats to think they aren't worth it. Sounds like they impact rowing, take up space, and aren't really needed if you get a long shaft motor.
Currently I'm thinking a 16' Willie with a 10HP long shaft. 15HP would likely be too heavy? I really want to be able to troll the lower Skagit River so enough power to do that would be best and if any of you are familiar with this area your advice is especially welcome.
Any advice or input is welcome. Thank you! I have an 8HP Yamaha 2 stroke on mine....57 lbs IIRC. It's a true 8HP....not a detuned 10 and it's all the HP my 16 Willie can use. They made a 6HP out of this same powerhead. This Yami uses 100:1 mix so it's not smokey. Some 10s are detuned 15s....look at the bore/stroke and see what the mfr did with that powerhead. No I would not hang a 15 on a DB. Look at the weights...4 strokes will be heavier.
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NO STEP ON SNEK
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#890364 - 03/29/14 03:24 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Jason Beezuz]
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Returning Adult
Registered: 12/08/08
Posts: 257
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My 8 hp yamaha 4 stroke slowly gets me upstream the blue creek run on the cowlitz at 10,000 cfs. It's pretty heavy at around 90 lbs but works well. I wouldn't recommend anything more than 90 lbs. I also have an aluminum fin attached to the motor that helps keep my bow down, big difference without it.
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As in I wish I was outside fishing right now........
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#890365 - 03/29/14 03:24 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Direct-Drive]
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Juvenile at Sea
Registered: 11/17/11
Posts: 145
Loc: oly
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8hp is all you need. I have a 8hp long shaft and its perfect for my 15' glass db.
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Just fish... and enjoy it to the fullest! 
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#890366 - 03/29/14 03:27 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Direct-Drive]
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My Waders are Moist
Registered: 11/20/08
Posts: 3419
Loc: PNW
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Thanks DD, do you feel on most lower rivers during fishable flows that you can still push up river at a reasonable speed?
_________________________
Maybe he's born with it.
Maybe it's amphetamines.
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#890368 - 03/29/14 03:59 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Jason Beezuz]
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ExtenZe Field Tester
Registered: 11/10/09
Posts: 7961
Loc: Vancouver, WA
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Yup.
They won't plane, so there is only so much HP you can put on a DB.
Making long runs upstream is going to be time-consuming no matter.
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#890371 - 03/29/14 04:20 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Jason Beezuz]
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Three Time Spawner
Registered: 09/07/05
Posts: 1867
Loc: Spokane WA
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I've used a 1.5, 3.3, 6, 9.9 and 15hp on mine, more hp does make a difference, but it isn't huge. I used the 9.9 the most, and could push up through some pretty fast stuff.
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#890372 - 03/29/14 04:37 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: ondarvr]
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Returning Adult
Registered: 12/08/08
Posts: 257
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I agree, I think hp makes a difference. I had a 9.9 merc and it pushed noticeably better than my current 8 yami. I also tried a 6 yami and it was too slow. I like my 8 the most because it idles slower than the 9.9 so I no longer need to deploy drift socks when trolling and I no longer have to shift back and forth to neutral to slowly work my stuff down when back trolling down the river. A really slow idle is very nice and my yamaha 8 is much slower than my merc 9.9 was (granted the merc pushed up river slightly faster)
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As in I wish I was outside fishing right now........
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#890384 - 03/29/14 08:11 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: outfishn]
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The Beav
Registered: 02/22/09
Posts: 2741
Loc: Oregon Central Coast
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I've got an 8hp ex-long shaft Merc on my 17x60 Willie.
I like the added length and shift in the handle.
+1 on nothing over 8 hp
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[Bleeeeep!], the cup of ignorance in this thread overfloweth . . . Salmo g Truth be told, I've always been a fan of the Beavs. -Dan S. 
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#890501 - 03/30/14 06:43 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: STRIKE ZONE]
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Returning Adult
Registered: 03/06/14
Posts: 312
Loc: Tumwater
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Find the lightest outboard of about 5 horsepower, or maybe a little more , and make sure that the throttle is on the handle. Then buy a long extension for the tiller/handle so that you can get your weight farther forward in your boat. That should work about as well as you can expect. If you go crabbing, watch your tides. Driftboats really don't do all that well with motors. I use an electric for small lakes, and since driftboats don't have a keel, gusty winds make keeping a straight line a challenge. Good luck. Enjoy.
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#890503 - 03/30/14 06:59 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Tug 3]
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Three Time Spawner
Registered: 09/07/05
Posts: 1867
Loc: Spokane WA
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Most 6HP or less motors are now single cylinder 4 strokes, as a group they tend to be loud and vibrate a great deal, this isn't bad for short runs, but if you want to troll for any length of time it can become rather annoying.
And there is a big difference between the smaller motors and the full sized 8s and 9.9s when it come to available thrust.
The small ones are nice if you don't plan to use it much though.
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#890505 - 03/30/14 07:20 PM
Re: Drift Boat With Motor?? PLEASE HELP
[Re: Tug 3]
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ExtenZe Field Tester
Registered: 11/10/09
Posts: 7961
Loc: Vancouver, WA
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Find the lightest outboard of about 5 horsepower, or maybe a little more , and make sure that the throttle is on the handle. For a basic gas motor this may be OK but in this class of motor you may not be able to get a long shaft (required for a DB). Also you will almost certainly be dealing with a single cylinder which, as Ondarvr stated is a poor choice for a trolling motor. You will also be short on power for upstream runs against a current.
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